Perhaps, many of you think "Well, of course that’s why I’m here!" And maybe a few others think, "Well, no not yet, that’s why I’m here." This morning I’m suggesting that finding the Messiah is a life long project and that this journey includes at least three concurrent steps: seeing, naming, imitating.

John 1:29-42 focuses on seeing

A. Eight different Greek words that are related to seeing

i. Blepo vs. 29, Emblepo vs. 36, 42, Opao vs. 29, 33, 34, 36, 39, and Oida vs. 31, 33 all mean to see

1. these three about gaining comprehension, experience and knowledge

ii. Maptupeo and Theomai vs. 32, 34

1. to know from fixed consideration

iii. Saiteo vs. 38 and Eupisko vs. 41

1. vision and knowledge from discovery with the former indicating intentional investigation

B. Given this emphasis on seeing, I wonder how many of us have come today looking for the Messiah?

i. This week, I read about a very faithful member from a Roman Catholic congregation in Sobrado, a town in northern Portugal

1. Preta leaves home every Sunday morning at 5:00 a.m.

2. walks 16 miles to church in time to take her usual place next to the altar for mass.

3. she stands and sits

4. usually walks back home, though some parishioners give her a ride.

ii. the unusual thing about this member? Preta is a dog

iii. Portuguese newspaper "Correio da Manha" reports church attendance grew as many people attend to see faithful dog

iv. not necessarily looking for a faithful God, but a the faithful dog. Go figure. (Thanks to Pastor Wesley Taylor, Tualitin, Oregon.)

C. Seems pretty ridiculous doesn’t it, yet how do we handle Jesus’ invitation, in the same way we handle others in our very busy lives?

i. "Love to, Can’t right now. Places to go and people to see, but count me in."

ii. "You know, we’ve got to get together some day. I don’t know why we don’t connect."

iii. "Tell you what, I’m going to check my calendar and I’ll get back to you."

D. Seeing Jesus, knowledge of him, comes from accepting the invitation;

E. an occasion of revelation, a divine gift, a manifestation of Spirit

Once we accept the invitation of seeing, we begin the process of naming.

F. Many different names for Jesus in this passage

i. Lamb of God

1. paschal lamb of the Passover

2. lamb of the suffering servant

3. lamb of Jewish apocalyptic literature

ii. Son of God or another manuscript uses Chosen One

1. unique revelation of God

2. together, these two reveal a saving liberating presence in the world

iii. Rabbi, before truly seeing him

iv. Messiah

G. Naming is a way of testifying

i. When we name we identify and define.

ii. We say that this is who Jesus is for me.

iii. Prince of Peace

H. We have to testify in order to continue to see

i. Seeing involves more than just the aspect of using our eyes.

ii. Remember all those different verbs for seeing, comprehending, experiencing, knowing, fixed consideration, vision and intentional investigation

I. "The Bible calls for imitation. If you want God fully in your life, if you want to be as faithful as you can, if you want expertise in Christian living, imitate Christ."

J. "If you want to learn a skill well, study with a master."

i. Sewing a quilt

ii. Debbie offered me a lesson

K. The reality is, we imitate the role models that are offered to us.

i. "Cats in the Cradle"

L. If were going to imitate our Master we have to know where to find him? Where’s this house that our text invites us to visit?

i. What would Mapquest reveal?

1. "Jesus lives where the poor are."

2. "Jesus lives where the children are because they’re special people of the kingdom of God…"

3. "Jesus lives with those who have no one to love them."

a. Country song about child whose parents die

4. "Jesus lives in the community of faith where worship and study take place."

5. "Jesus lives [through] the written words of scripture."

6. "Jesus lives [through] the presence of the eternal God and hears our prayers."

M. "Come and see." is …not an invitation to observe Jesus from afar. Rather, it’s the call to … entrust one’s whole life to the promise that this one is the Messiah, the Savior of the world.

N. Hide and Crawl In (Sardines)

i. Jesus invites us to become his disciples. He’s trying to pack more and more people into the place where he is staying.

ii. The big difference is that we are no longer trying to hide.

iii. We want everyone in our community and world to know the way of Christ.

1. So let’s open our eyes so that we can see and investigate.

2. Let’s continue to name and testify to the One we see

3. Let’s accept the invitation and stay with the Messiah in his home